On Computers: What to do when your system looks like a dead duck

Monday

Feb 17, 2014 at 1:57 PMFeb 17, 2014 at 1:57 PM

By Jim HillibishMore Content Now

Today, weíre going to try to save you some money. Before you head into the repair shop, you can do many of the same things the repair guy will do, for free. Chances are 50/50 these will solve your problem.

Note that desktop systems are easier to repair than laptops. They are almost considered throwaways. Still, there are things to check.

So you turned on your desktop PC and got nothing but a blank screen. First thing to check is your power supply. Thatís easy. Check the fan in back. If itís pumping out air when you hit the power switch, itís fine. Otherwise, thereís your problem. Packs cost about $30 and are easy to install. Be sure to get the right one for your system. Check the Internet for sources.

If the fan checks out, the next most probable cause is the video cable from your system box to monitor. The fix is simple. Make sure the cable is tight on both connections. They can vibrate and disconnect.

If your monitor still is black, switch off and pull the video cable off at the system box. Check the thin wires in the plug. They easily are bent when moving a system or even just dusting behind your box. You can straighten a pin with needle-nose pliers. Then reboot and see if it works.

Still nothing? Then shut down the system, unplug it and open the cover.

The constant heating and cooling of your motherboard causes a problem called ďcard creep.Ē Eventually, this causes your system cards (video, network driver, audio) to loosen and lose contact with the motherboard. For some reason, many times itís your video card.

The fix here is to grab the top corners of the card and work them back and forth like a see saw. If the card is loose, youíll feel it snap back into the motherboard socket.

While youíre in there, look around for anything else loose. Computers with their fans and hard drives vibrate. Make sure all the plugs inside are seated, especially the wide ribbon from the motherboard to the disk drives.

If youíre still getting a black monitor, things are more complicated than the above. It could be a hard drive or video-card failure. You might need a new monitor.

Remember, things break. Whatever. Youíre probably going to need some help from the repair guy.

I try to head this stuff off by doing a six-month house cleaning. Take a Q-Tip to the vents, check all of the connections including the power cable, run the Windows disk checker (in the help box) and clean the keyboard and monitor.

One thing to remember: Every computer on earth is destined to fail someday. Microsoft did an investigation of computer life and pegged the average longevity of a desktop PC at four years. After that, youíre entering the danger zone.

Still, anything you can do to prolong your system is worth doing. Tear yourself away from Twitter long enough to do some good for your humming friend.

Reach Jim at 330-580-8324 or jim.hillibish@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @jhillibishREP.

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